Easy homemade vegan pizza
Crisp-edged vegan pizza with a soft, chewy base, vibrant tomato sauce and melty vegan mozzarella. Perfect for a weekend bake.
This vegan pizza gives you all the joy of a classic pie without the dairy. The dough is simple and reliable, and the sauce is fresh and punchy — perfect for feeding friends or a Friday night treat.
Make two medium pizzas from this batch; crisp base, smoky toppings and melty vegan mozzarella make it a crowd-pleaser. It’s best eaten hot from the oven, but leftovers reheat well.
Ingredients
- 500 g plain flour
- 5 g instant dried yeast
- 10 g fine sea salt
- 325 ml lukewarm water
- 25 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 200 ml passata
- 2 garlic cloves — crushed or finely minced
- 15 g tomato puree
- 5 ml dried oregano
- 5 g caster sugar — to balance the sauce
- 150 g vegan mozzarella — shredded
- 100 g chestnut mushrooms — sliced
- 1 brown onion — thinly sliced
- 1 red pepper — thinly sliced
- 50 g black olives — pitted and halved
- 10 g fresh basil — leaves to finish
- 0 g sea salt flakes — to finish
- ground black pepper — to taste
Equipment
- baking tray
- rolling pin
- mixing bowl
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl whisk together plain flour, instant dried yeast and fine sea salt. Make a well, add lukewarm water and 15 ml extra virgin olive oil, then stir until a shaggy dough forms.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and slightly springy. Alternatively use a stand mixer with a dough hook for 6–7 minutes.
Lightly oil a clean bowl with a little extra virgin olive oil, place the dough inside, cover with cling film or a clean tea towel and leave to prove in a warm place until doubled in size (about 60 minutes).
While the dough proves, make the sauce. In a bowl combine passata, crushed garlic cloves, tomato puree, dried oregano, caster sugar and a pinch of fine sea salt and 5 ml extra virgin olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Prepare the toppings: thinly slice chestnut mushrooms, brown onion and red pepper; halve the black olives and shred the vegan mozzarella if needed.
Put a baking tray in the oven and preheat to 240°C fan/260°C conventional. Leave the tray inside for at least 15 minutes so it gets very hot.
Knock back the proved dough, divide into 2 equal pieces and shape each into a tight ball. Cover and rest for 20 minutes to relax the gluten before stretching.
On a lightly floured surface stretch each ball into a 28–30 cm round. Transfer one at a time to a piece of baking paper for easier handling. Spread a thin layer of sauce, scatter vegan mozzarella and arrange vegetables and olives. Finish with a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a grind of ground black pepper.
Slide the pizza (on its baking paper) onto the hot baking tray and bake for 10–12 minutes until the crust is blistered and golden and the vegan cheese has melted.
Remove from the oven, scatter fresh basil leaves and sea salt flakes, drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil if you like, then leave to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
Tips
- For a crisper base, warm the baking tray in the oven while you stretch the dough so the base hits very hot metal.
- If your kitchen is cold, prove the dough in the oven with just the oven light on to maintain a steady warm temperature.
- Don’t over-sauce the base — a thin, even layer prevents a soggy pizza and lets the toppings shine.
- Make dough ahead: after the first prove, refrigerate the dough (covered) for up to 24 hours — bring back to room temperature and rest 30 minutes before shaping.
- Freeze cooked pizzas flat between baking parchment for up to 1 month; reheat directly from frozen at 200°C fan/220°C conventional for 10–12 minutes.
Substitutions
plain flour → strong white bread flour, same weight
Stays closevegan mozzarella → nut-based cashew 'mozzarella' or crumbled firm tofu seasoned with nutritional yeast, same weight
Noticeably differentpassata → tinned chopped tomatoes, blended briefly and drained of excess liquid
Noticeably differentplain flour → gluten-free 00-style flour mix (follow packet instructions for hydration),
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 670
- Calories
- 16 g
- Protein
- 109 g
- Carbs
- 17 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 900 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make the dough ahead?
Yes — after the first prove, cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bring back to room temperature and rest 30 minutes before shaping.
How do I stop the base from being soggy?
Use a very hot baking tray or pizza stone, stretch the dough thinly, and apply a thin layer of sauce rather than a puddle.
Can I freeze the pizza?
Bake fully, cool, then freeze flat between sheets of baking paper for up to 1 month. Reheat from frozen at 200°C fan/220°C conventional for 10–12 minutes.
My vegan cheese didn't melt well — any tips?
Choose a meltable vegan mozzarella (look for 'melting' on the label) or add a light sprinkle of vegan parmesan-style shreds; avoid overloading toppings which cool the pizza surface.
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